Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-02-05
QUESTIONS IN MUNICIPAL GOVERN
MENT.

James EaTlOn, Ill Ills ESSAY III Iiic W ttW
or municipal government, falls into some
errors that lead him to unstable conclu-
sions. Thus he claims that the neglect of
political duty by citizens in cities isdue to
the fault of those who impose upon them
such duty-that is, it is exacted of the
voter that he do impossible things. As,
for instance, that the people cannot select
proper Corporation Counsel because that
duty requires a peculiar knowledge not
possessed by the people in general. So,
too, with Judges, Sheriffs, etc. The state
ment is erroneous. The people OF Ameri-
can cities haveample means of as, ertaining
the fitness Of meu for any duty created by
their laws The publicity given to Il e
careers of men, the knowledge of the read
ing public of the successes and failures Of
public men, the reputation of those
who aspire to position being matter of
public discussion, all contribute to the for
nation of correct estimates of men by the
people.
If fit persons, men untrammeled and
free, do not present and are not chosen, it
is due not to incompetency to choose, but
unwillingness of the proper men to submit
themselves to the initial methods which
the peoples neglect permit to be employed
in Transforming the citizen into the office
holder Now it is indisputable, reasoning
from these premises, that if John, William,
Henry and their fellows constituting the
majority and the best units of municipal
government, did not transfer by neglect the
task and responsibility Of choosing officers
to James and his fellows, constituting the
minority and the selfish units of commu-
nifty life, but, on the contrary. discharged
their political duties fully and conscien-
tiously, fit men, free and untrammeled
candidates, would develop, since there is
provision in the economy of society for
every need Thus ii would be possible for
the people to choose the best men for the
places to be filled aud we should have
administrations representing the best
thought of a community.
Mr.. Parton admits very frankly that it
is possible for the people to choose a good
Mayor, yet executive ability must be esti-
mated by evidences similar to those that are
necessary in selecting corporation counsel,
the head Of the police department, or local
legislators. The trouble is not, IS Mr..
Parton states it, in the difficulty Of proper
choice because of lack of knowledge Of pc
culiar qualifications, but in the neglect Of
political duty by the citizens, the assump-
ton OF ii by these with axes to grind and
the eons euent impossibility of independ-
ence on the part of fittest candidates. As
full assumption of olitical duty by the
people will free men fit for office from the
contro! OF influences they abhor, it win
bring such men forward u honorably CON
test for PAGES OF trust. In other words,
capacity for place is now most frequently
made subservicnt to party under the
control of machinery operated by the few,
to whom the peoples neglect surrenders a
prero -ative even greater and more sacred
than that of the elective franchise-the
selection of those who are to be voted for.
If Mr.. Parton and those holding with him
will suppose that ideal condition to exist
in which men could be perfectly free to
present themselves for Office without
promise or fee to any objectionable inhu-
enceswhatever, they will be able to conceive
of state of society in which honorable
ambition to serve the public in positions
of trust will always put the fittest fore
most among candidates.
In the new charter of San Francisco
about to be voted upon, it is proposed to
vest unparalleled powers in the Mayor TO
name the most important subordinate Off
GERS. This is based-in part, at least, we
assume-upon the idea that the people are
incompetent to select them by vote or by
representative bodies, but are still able to
choose one whom they can hold account
able for the whole municipal administra-
ton. If this is admitted for a moment, of
what avail will the Capitalization of mu-
nicipal power be unless this trustee of such
vast power is himself perfectly free from
the control of the few? VIII it not rather
be an exemplifcation of the poor policy of
putting all the eggs into one basket?
The enlargement of the trust referred to,
and which is much the same policy urged
in New York, twill beurged, as was argued
last year in the last-named city, will first,
make the people more careful whom they
select, and thus secure a better result /;
second, make the Executive more indie
pendent of control, and thus result IN
frmer administrations; third, impress
upon him due sense of his direct re-
sponsibility to the people. But, on the